How Do Community Planning Features Affect the Place Relationship of Residents? An Investigation of Place Attachment, Social Interaction, and Community Participation

Heng Zhang, Rodney H. Matsuoka and Yu-Jan Huang
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Heng Zhang: Department of Architecture, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1 University Road, Tainan City 70101, Taiwan
Rodney H. Matsuoka: Department of Architecture, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1 University Road, Tainan City 70101, Taiwan
Yu-Jan Huang: Department of Architecture, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1 University Road, Tainan City 70101, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 8, 1-19

Abstract: Outdoor environment can have significant connections with place relationships. This study tried to explore the connection in detail. First, the relationship was examined through an integrated view of environmental planning, followed by reviewing impacts of essential elements from the outdoor environment on place relationships. Residents of three public housing communities in Taiwan were surveyed. Each community had a different layout: alley, cluster, and large courtyard. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that outdoor community planning features can be grouped into four factors: outdoor space quality, circulation planning, outdoor recreational facilities, and community layout. Canonical correlation analyses indicate different combinations of these factors were connected to diverse combinations of place relationship dimensions. More importantly, higher levels of satisfaction toward outdoor space quality as well as community layout were associated with greater place attachment and less community participation. Higher levels of satisfaction with circulation planning were connected to greater place attachment and community participation, and less social interaction. Multiple regression analyses found the associations between the community planning features and place relationship dimensions differed among the alley, cluster, and large courtyard. These findings can help planners and architects design public housing and similar communities that better enhance the emotional and social experiences of the inhabitants.

Keywords: place relationship; place attachment; social interaction; community participation; community planning feature; outdoor space quality; circulation planning; community layout; outdoor recreational facilities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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